Lesson Overview:

In the musical Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen and James Ingram the sons of Reverend Knight sneak out of the house to dance. They dance so hard that they wear out their sneakers. Their father, on the other hand, represses their desire and need to dance. In our society, male dancers are sometimes viewed as unusual, even though dance training helps build body strength, muscle tone, balance, coordination, and cooperation.

This lesson looks at the male dancer and reinforces the idea that dancing is a beneficial activity for men and women. Students compare the benefits of dance training and sports in both social and physical skills. Then students watch video clips of famous male dancers. The lesson then focuses on two men who have dedicated their lives to dance—Jacques d’ Amboise, a ballet dancer and teacher and Savion Glover, a child prodigy tap dancer and Tony Award^©-winning choreographer. Finally, students design a questionnaire, interview a male who dances, and write an article about him.

Length of Lesson:

Three 45-minute class periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 3-4.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• identify the benefits of dance and sports.
• classify the physical and social skills used in dance and sports.
• compare the skills used in dance and sports.
• critique the skills used by male dancers that have been viewed on video.
• research two male dancers, Jacque d’Amboise and Savion Glover.
• design a questionnaire about dancing.
• conduct an interview with a male dancer.
• write an article about a male dancer.

Supplies:

• VCR or DVD player
• TV monitor
• A selection of video dance sequences featuring male dancers (see the Sources section for specific suggestions)
• A selection of books about male dancers (see the Sources section for specific suggestions)
• Post-It notes
• A prepared Venn Diagram on posterboard. One circle should be labeled "Dance"; the other should be labeled "Sports."
• A posterboard labeled "Dance." The poster should contain two columns labeled "Physical Skills" and "Social Skills."
• A posterboard labeled "Sports." The poster should contain two columns labeled "Physical Skills" and "Social Skills."
• Paper and pencils

Instructional Plan:

Warm-up

Have the students take out a piece of paper and pencils. Ask them to sketch a picture of a ballet dancer.

Discuss the following vocabulary words with your students:

choreographer: one who arranges the steps and movements in a dance

dancer: one who dances

danseur: a male ballet dancer

Ask the class if anyone has ever studied dance. If so, ask them what kind of dance they studied and for how long they studied it. Have the students discuss why they liked studying dance, and ask them to identify some of the benefits—both physical and social—of participating in the study of dance.

Ask if any of the students have been on a sports team or practiced a sport like ice skating, tennis, skate boarding, golf, or skiing. Again, ask students to identify the kind of sport they played and for how long they played it. Have them discuss the benefits of playing a sport.

Have the students refer back to the pictures that they drew. Ask the students whether they drew a male dancer or female dancer. Ask the class if they notice any differences in the number of boys that participate in dance and the number of boys that participate in sports. If there are any differences, discuss possible reasons. (Note: It is likely that more boys participate in sports than dance. If any boys in the class are dancers, be careful to ensure that the students do not use insensitive or derogatory terms when talking about men who dance.)

Dance vs. Sports

Break the students into groups. If possible, each group should contain at least one student who has studied dance and one student who has participated in sports. Each group should consist of three to six students.

Pass out "Post-It" note pads to each group. Ask each group to write at least one physical benefit and one social benefit of studying dance. Then have them list one physical and one social benefit of playing sports. (They should write each benefit on a separate Post-It note.) Give the groups five minutes to discuss and write down their ideas. On the board, or on a piece of chart paper, create a Venn diagram for "Dance" and "Sports." Then, have each group share their ideas and invite the students to place the Post-its on the appropriate place on the chart. Discuss the results. Pay special attention to the benefits that overlap into both areas of the Venn Diagram.

Male Dancers in Books, Videos, and Musicals

Read the students at least one of the suggested stories and focus on the male dancer in the story. (See the Sources section; appropriate stories include Oliver Button is a Sissy, Max, and Billy Elliot.) Discuss what happened to the male dancers in the stories. Ask the students to talk about how the male dancer in each story was treated by his family and peers. How did he feel? Why did he study dance? What skills did he demonstrate? Ask the students how they feel about the character of the male dancer. Did they identify with the dancer? Did they feel sorry for him?

Ask students whether they think that our society has a positive or negative view of male dancers. Why might male dancers be looked at unfavorably in our society?

Select at least two videos of dance performances for the students to watch. If possible, select videos that provide examples of contrasting dance styles, such as tap and ballet. Alternatively, select one piece that highlights a solo dancer, and one that shows a male dancer performing with a partner or group. Make sure that the videos are cued up to the appropriate place. Tell the students to watch for and note the physical and social skills that the dancers demonstrate. Ask the students to think about whether any of these skills are similar to those used in certain sports. If so, discuss how the skills used in specific sports are similar to those used in dance. After the discussion, have the students place their observations on the Venn Diagram.

Ask students to think about the boys in Brothers of the Knight. (Note: If the class has not scene the musical or read the book, you may wish to show them the Storytime Online presentation.) The boy characters dance because it is away for them to escape the confines of a strict household. Point out that the male dancers who portray the sons in the theatrical version of the story have most likely had some kind of dance training in ballet, jazz, modern, or tap.

Reading about Professional Dancers

Ask the class to consider some of the challenges involved in becoming a male dancer. Point out that many male dancers have been inspired by other influential performers. Two dancers who have been very influential are Jacques d’Amboise, a former ballet dancer and teacher, and Savion Glover, a famous tap dancer and a choreographer. Both men encourage young males to dance.

Have students visit the Web site of the The National Dance Institute. This organization was founded by Jacques d’Amboise. For further information, students can also visit PBS's Who's Dancin' Now, which features interviews with former students of the institute. (Note: The PBS site is an online companion to the film Who's Dancing Now? See the Sources section for the bibliographic information on this film.)

Next, have students read the interview with Savion Glover and George C. Wolfe posted on the PBS Web site. Explain that this interview focuses on Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, a hit Broadway musical about tap dancing. Savion Glover also wrote a biography about himself for children. Another interview with the dancer is available online; you may wish to have the students review it.

Student Interviews

After the students have had a chance to review the information about what it is like to be a male dancer, ask them to think about male dancers in their lives. Explain that they do not need to be professional performers; they could simply love to dance. Perhaps they have a family member who likes to dance at social occasions. Alternatively, they may know a high school or college athlete who took a dance class to improve his balance. Explain to the students that for their assignments, they will need to interview this dancer. (Note: As an alternative, you may wish to have a male dancer visit the classroom, and have the students interview him as a class.)

Once students decide who they will interview, they should design a questionnaire to ask these dancers. Distribute the Helpful Hints for a Successful Interview Handout and the Consent from Interview Subjects Handout. Students may work in their groups or as a class to develop a list of questions. After the teacher and class have accepted the questionnaire, the students should conduct their interviews. (Be sure that the interviewees sign the consent form.)

Following the interview, the student should compose a short article (approximately four paragraphs) about the male dancer they interviewed. Tell students that the article should include an observation or insight that they learned about male dancers in general. Remind students to pay attention to their spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and to base their articles on substantive "who," "what," "when," "where," "how," and "why" questions.

Assessment:

Assess students on the degree to which they meet the following criteria:

• Did the student apply the information and knowledge gained from discussing, viewing, and reviewing information about male dancers in his/her interview with the male dancer?
• Is the student's article at least four paragraphs long, and does it reflect an insight about male dancers?
• Is the student's article based on substantive "who," "what," "when," "where," "how," and "why" questions?
• Are all spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation conventions used correctly?

Extensions:

Instead of assigning groups to discuss sports in general, give different groups different sports to compare with dance. For example, assign each group one sport, such as football, soccer, baseball, skateboarding, gymnastics, or basketball. The groups would contrast the benefits of these specific sports with those of dance.

If one or more of the students do not know a male dancer, call up a nursing home or local dance studio. You may be able to find older men who are or were dancers.

Invite a professional male dancer or choreographer to speak to the class.

Video or audio tape the interview of the dancer. Present a showcase of the interviews at the end of the lesson.

Sources:

Print:

• Ackerman, Karen. Song and Dance Man. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
• Allen, Debbie. Brothers of the Knight. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1999.
• Burgess, Melvin. Billy Elliot. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2001.
• Cooper, Elisha. Dance. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2001.
• De Paola, Tomie. Oliver Button is a Sissy. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979.
• Friedman, Lise. Break a Leg! The Kids' Guide to Acting & Stagecraft. New York: Workman Publishing, 2002.
• Glover, Savion, and Bruce Weber. Savion: My Life in Tap. New York: Morrow Junior, 2000.
• Igus, Toyomi, and Michele Wood. I See the Rhythm. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 1998.
• Isadora, Rachel. Max. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.,1976.
• Jones, Bill T., and Kuklian, Susan. Dance. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1998.
• Krementz, Jill. A Very Young Dancer. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976.
• Schomp, Virginia. If You Were a…Ballet Dancer. Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Books, 1998.
• Tobey, Cheryl. Modern Dance. New York: Children's Press, 2001.

Media:

• (Note: Some of the films listed contain material not suitable for the classroom. Review excerpts carefully before showing them to students
• Ardolino, Emile, dir. He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’. Winstar Home Entertainment, 1982. (This film focuses on Jacques d'Amboise and the National Dance Institute.)
• Badham, John, dir. Saturday Night Fever. Warner Home Video, 1977.
• Daldry, Stephen, dir. Billy Eliot. Universal Studios, 2000.
• Donen, Stanley, dir. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Warner Studios, 1954.
• Hackford, Taylor, dir. White Nights. Columbia/Tri-Star Pictures, 1985.
• Kelly, Gene and Stanley Donnen. Singin' in the Rain. Warner Studios, 1952.
• Kinberg, Judy, dir. Who's Dancin' Now. Winstar Home Entertainment, 1999. (This film focuses on Jacques d'Amboise and the National Dance Institute.)
• Ross, Herbert. The Turning Point. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.

Wise, Robert, and Jerome Robbins, dirs. West Side Story. MGM/UA Studios, 1961.

Authors:

• Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
  Kingsford Elementary School
  Mitchellville, MD